Human Immunodeficiency Virus, also known as HIV, is a virus that attacks the immune system. It invades our T cells and then makes more copies of itself. It then destroys them and our immune system can no longer fight of other infections or diseases, which can lead to AIDS. There are three major routes it is transferred by. The first route is sexual intercourse through the vaginal, rectal, or penile tissues. The second route is a direct injection with HIV-contaminated drugs, needles, syringes, blood or blood products. The third major route HIV can be transmitted is from an HIV-infected mother to the fetus in the uterus or even through breast-feeding. Once the virus is transmitted to someone else, it attaches immune system cell called a dendritic cell. These cells are located by the mouth, vagina, rectum, and penis. The cells then transport the virus from the where the infection is to the lymph nodes where it also infects other immune system cells. Once inside the cell, the virus turns RNA into DNA, and then makes its way to the cells nucleus. The HIV weakens the immune system. The infected HIV cells convert into the messenger RNA then it is transferred outside the nucleus and is used to make more HIV infected cells.
Although almost anyone can receive the HIV virus at any age, some people, who are naturally HIV immune, do exist. Trafton (2010) states that they have a HLA B57 gene that creates more white blood cells that defend the body from infections and viruses, also known as T cells. T cells connect strongly to more of the HIV protein than to the people who do not have the same gene. The T cells are more likely notice and stop the cells that include HIV proteins. Therefore making the person naturally HIV immune because the T c...
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...essionally at a healthcare place than doing it myself at home. I feel it is more trustworthy than an at home HIV test. Also, one person put of five thousand can get a false positive answer. But one in twelve can get a false negative answer as well. Taking an HIV test at a healthcare center is more safe and trustworthy about being positive or
Works Cited
Website. (2013). The basics of HIV prevention. Retrieved from http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/education-materials/fact-sheets/20/48/the-basics-of-hiv-prevention
Website. (2009) HIV Lifecycle. Retrieved from http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/hiv-in-your-body/hiv-lifecycle/ Kaplen, Karen. (2013, October 13). Baby 'cured' of HIV: New details offer hope for other patients. Los Angeles Times.
McNeil Jr., Donald. G. (2012, July 3). Rapid H.I.V. Home Test Wins Federal Approval. The New York Times.
This Radiolab podcast talks about how the HIV/AIDS epidemic started: the ultimate patient zero story, a very recent event that still hurts and still bleeds.
To begin with, one of the biggest issues with prior attempts of HIV/AIDS programs is that once a person was told that they had been infected, they were rejected treatment, as stated in Epstein’s piece. Luckily today, it is common for schools to have free HIV testing. This, however, does not solve the issue. Instead of having free HIV testing more commonly available in schools rather than at-your-fingertips, governments should fund worldwide clinics that provide free HIV testing and protection available to all genders. Said clinics could then pair with multiple insurance companies to make treatment as affordable as possible, because if one tests positively, they most likely cannot afford the medication. Treatment can cost from anywhere between $500-$2,700 for one prescription, which can reach
There is no vaccine for HIV, but there are some drugs that can extend their lives. Some of the treatments that are offered are very expensive and are not available to all people with HIV. Also, these treatments do not work for about 20% of people who have tried them. Some of the best ways to avoid contracting HIV is to abstain from sexual intercourse and from sharing needles if you do drugs. Do not share personal items that may be contaminated with blood.
Different people define success in many different ways. What is considered success by one person may be viewed as failure by another person. Randy Shilts, a homosexual newspaper reporter / author, attempts to make fundamental changes in America’s opinion on AIDS. In Randy Shilts’s essay, "Talking AIDS to Death," he speaks of his experiences as an "AIDS celebrity." At the core of Shilts’s essay is the statement, "Never before have I succeeded so well; never before have I failed so miserably"(221). Shilts can see his accomplishments from two points of view- as a success and as a failure. Despite instant fame, Shilts is not satisfied with the effects his writings has on the general public. Shilts’s "success" and reasons for failure can both be considered when one decides whether or not his efforts were performed in vain.
Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147142.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada HIV – the Human Immunodeficiency Virus - is a virus that attacks the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness that leaves people vulnerable to opportunistic infections and cancers. (Canada 2008) Essentially over time, when your body can no longer battle the virus it progresses into a disease know as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. The transmition of HIV occurs when a person’s contaminated body fluids enter another individual. Unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral), sharing needles, using unsterilized equipment for body modification, mother to infant transmition, as well as occupational exposure in health care are all ways HIV can be spread. HIV/AIDS as an illness is relatively new. The first reported case of AIDS in the world was in 1981, and a year later in Canada. Scientists all around the world are busy searching for a cure or vaccine to treat the millions of people internationally dying of HIV/AIDS.
Infection with HIV does not necessarily mean that a person has AIDS, although people who are HIV-positive are often mistakenly said to have AIDS. In fact, a person can remain HIV-positive for more than ten years without developing any of the clinical illnesses that define and constitute a diagnosis of AIDS. In 1997 an estimated 30.6 million people worldwide were living with HIV or AIDS—29.5 million adults and 1.1 million children. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 1981, when the first AIDS cases were reported, and the end of 1997...
HIV, also known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells in the body, which makes a person more likely to get infections or infection-related cancers. HIV can also lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), if it is not being treated (aids.gov). There is no effective cure for HIV, however with proper treatment and medical care, HIV can be controlled. In
In June of 1999 all hospitals in the state of New York were notified by the New York State Department of Health that beginning August first, 1999, a radical new approach to HIV screening was to be initiated. According to the policy, "for those women without prenatal HIV test results who decline HIV testing during delivery, hospitals are required to conduct expedited HIV testing of all newborns" (New York State Department of Health, June, 1999). This policy was the consequence of a heated debate in the legislature over the results of anonymous HIV screening performed on pregnant women in the state of New York (Cameron, 2002). New York State had been engaged in anonymous testing of newborns since the late 1980s, and this testing consistently reve...
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retro virus that causes AIDS. HIV is a virus that can only be contracted between human to human. HIV weakens your immune system because this virus is destroying cells that fight diseases and infection in your body. A virus can only produce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its h...
HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus; this virus can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Accoring to Avert, 2.6 million people became infected with HIV in 2009, there are now an estimated 33.3 million people around the world who are living with HIV. HIV is transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids via sharing contaminated syringes, from infected mother to the child, and sexual contact. Contact with blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, or saliva that is contaminated with HIV, puts an individual at higher risk for contracting HIV. However, HIV cannot be transmitted by touch, coughing, or by bits from insect vectors.
Spielman, B. (1995). [Review of Women and prenatal testing]. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 23, 199-201.
60% of people surveyed by Time.com said that they would test their unborn children to rule out fatal diseases (Time.com).
Stoto, Michael A., Donna A. Almario, and Marie C. McCormick. Reducing the Odds: Preventing Perinatal Transmission of HIV in the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 1999. Print.
The emergence of HIV/AIDS is viewed globally as one of the most serious health and developmental challenges our society faces today. Being a lentivirus, HIV slowly replicates over time, attacking and wearing down the human immune system subsequently leading to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at which point the affected individual is exposed to life threatening illnesses and eventual death. Despite the fact that a few instances of this disease have been accounted for in all parts of the world, a high rate of the aforementioned living with HIV are situated in either low or medium wage procuring nations. The Sub-Saharan region Africa is recognized as the geographic region most afflicted by the pandemic. In previous years, people living with HIV or at risk of getting infected did not have enough access to prevention, care and treatment neither were they properly sensitized about the disease. These days, awareness and accessibility to all the mentioned (preventive methods, care etc.) has risen dramatically due to several global responses to the epidemic. An estimated half of newly infected people are among those under age 25(The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic). It hits hard as it has no visible symptoms and can go a long time without being diagnosed until one is tested or before it is too late to manage.